Redeemed for Adoption
Verse of the Day
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
Today’s Devotional
God sent Jesus so that you and I could be adopted into the Family, with full rights and privileges of sons and daughters. Jesus came to REDEEM us, which means to free us from what distresses us or harms us. What harms us is our sinful nature, and the sinful nature of others. Our sinful nature keeps us from being fully reconciled with our Father, because He cannot be in the presence of sin. So Jesus took our punishment on Himself so that we could be redeemed and adopted.
I know from personal experience that adoption is hard and sometimes messy. It doesn’t always look the way we want it to look or think it should. I was in a foster/adopt support group, and so I know that my experience matches the experience of many others. Adoption is hard.
Because of that, it does not surprise me that it is hard for us, as redeemed sons and daughters, to wrap our brains around the truth of our adoption into God’s Family. I wish that I could read the truths in the Word and fully believe them down to my core (and behave accordingly). I wish it was that easy. But just like in human adoption, there is always a longing for our family of origin. Even though we know that God has adopted us because of our belief in Jesus, there is still a longing to be comfortable in this broken world. Isn’t there? I find myself wanting to be comfortable with the things I can see, arranging things “just right”, so that my inner voice tells me that everything is ok. Even though I know that God is good and in control. I sometimes forget Who my Father is.
You KNOW you are adopted into God’s family, but do you still ever long for the flesh – the things of this world? Do you ever get discouraged when God’s plan isn’t evident, or do you trust that your Adoptive Father is working in your best interest?
When my daughter was little, she did not always understand everything that I wanted her to do. She thought brushing her teeth was a burden (among other things). But she had never had a cavity filled. Or a root canal. Or an extraction. Those things are no fun. And they can be avoided by daily brushing. I was trying to get her to act in a way that was in her best interest, and keep her from unnecessary harm.
I believe that God does the same thing for each of us. But we aren’t always smart enough to understand. We can’t see the bigger picture that our Adoptive Father can see. So the question becomes…
Do you trust Him?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you believe that you have been adopted into the family of God?
Do you recognize what Jesus gave up so that God could adopt you into His Kingdom family?
How can you thank Jesus today for coming at just the right time in history so that today you are His?
How can you behave like a son our daughter of the King today?